Gabriel Oak (Matthias Schoenaerts), a sheep farmer, is one of three suitors vying for Bathsheba Everdene (Carey Mulligan).
This beautifully photographed and well-acted drama directed by Thomas Vinterberg is based on Thomas Hardy’s fourth novel. Carey Mulligan plays Bathsheba Everdene, a strong-willed and independent young woman who inherits a sheep farm. Three men are drawn to her: Gabriel Oak, a shy and competent shepherd; William Boldwood, a wealthy bachelor who owns the neighboring estate; and Frank Troy, a dashing sergeant in the military.
As Bathsheba navigates through her responsibilities on the farm and the choices presented by the men in her life, the film turns into a meditation on yearning. We recognize that these characters’ dreams, wishes and hopes are ones we’ve had as well. We also empathize with their suffering, pain and disappointments. We were especially taken by Bathsheba’s desire for community as a way of assuaging her “long loneliness” (20th Century Fox, PG-13 — some sexuality and violence). On DVD.
